Skip to content
Surprising Science

New Thought Movement Gains Traction, Changes The World

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Amid all the realignments these uncertain times are causing in our thinking—about our jobs, our world and ourselves—it might be helpful to remember one simple image: a horse wearing blinders.


A focused, diligent creature, minimally mindful of the frenetic and critical world around it, is the kind of creature that gets what it wants in this world. Our racehorse doesn’t get distracted or stop to smell the flowers. In fact, as Adam Singer writes in The Future Buzz, a strict focus on our personal passions and goals is the key to getting what we want. Perhaps our racehorse doesn’t think in such terms exactly, but it does display the actions that come from such thinking.

As creatures of superior cognitive ability, we have an advantage over the equine world. We can choose the relationships that best complement our drive to realize our passions. According to Singer, the most fruitful relationships we can foster are symbiotic; in short, we reach goals when we surround ourselves by others who are striving to reach their goals.

Symbiosis is one of the pillars of the New Thought movement, a meta-trend in human relations that says our thoughts determine the ultimate reality of our lives. Stay tuned to Big Think for future posts on how to think in ways your never conceived of to get through times we never conceived of either.

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Related

Up Next